Grate.



PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903'.

.1. D.ISM EA D. GRATE.

LED JULY 1, 1902 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC D. SMEAD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

GRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 718,536, dated January13, 1903.

Application filed July 1, 1902. Serial No. 113,936. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC D. SMEAD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grates, of whichthe following is a specification.

My present invention relates to grates for open fires; and the inventionconsists in a novel construction of the grate, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of thegrate, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view looking from the rear oropposite side.

In the use of open coal fires it is found that the air enters and thecoal burns most at the center or middle portion of the grate, while ator near the ends of the grate it burns much less, the fire beingpractically dead at the ends while burning well at the center.

The object of my present invention isto remedy this difficulty, and thisI accomplish by constructing the grate as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which A represents the grate as a whole. It is constructedwith a series of vertical bars a, which also extend horizontally acrossthe bottom to hold the coal, these bars extending from each end towardthe center, as shown. At the center instead of the usual bars Iinterpose a portion in the form of solid plate C without any openingsfor the entrance of the air, this solid portion extending from the topdownward and across the bottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. When thusconstructed, it will be seen that the air will enter only at theopposite sides of the solid portion C, and thereby the fire is caused toburn at both ends of the grate as well as at the center, thus givingmuch better results. At the top I form a horizontal shaft B, which notonly strengthens the grate, but serves as a foot-rest for warming thefeet and on which articles can be set when it is desired to heat themfor any purpose. At the center this shelf B is supported by a bracket (1on the front of the central plate C, as shown in Fig. 1.

The grate shown in the drawings is designed for use within what is knownas Smeads heating and ventilating open stove, used for heating andventilating schoolrooms and similar bui1dings,and which is thereforemade of a much larger size than the ordinary open or so-called Franklinstove and requires a much longer and larger grate, and to prevent thebars from being warped or bent by the heat they are connected to eachother by a solid portion e in the vertical part of the grate, and, ifdesired, they may be so connected in the horizontal part also. It isobvious that this improvement is equally applicable to the smaller-sizedgrates set in the fireplaces used for heating a single room or Whereveran open fire is used, it only being necessary to proportion the solidpart C to the size of the grate, whatever that may be. It is alsoobvious that the bars at the front may be arranged horizontallyon eachside of the solid or closed portion C, as is sometimes done, instead ofvertically, as shown, the operation and result being the same; but Iprefer to make them vertical, as represented in the drawings.

The grate can be cast integral, or, if desired, the central part C maybe made separately and then be fastened in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A grate for openfires, having its central portion made solid or imperforate with bars atopposite sides thereof, said solid portion and bars extending downwardand backward to form both a front and bottom for the grate,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

I ISAAC D. SMEAD.

Witnesses:

BURTON A. SMEAD, ANTHONY KUEFER.

